


Where were you?

by Whatabout2ndbreakfast



Series: Linked Universe Stories [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Amnesia, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Survivor Guilt, Trauma, Wild (Linked Universe) Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:00:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26456842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whatabout2ndbreakfast/pseuds/Whatabout2ndbreakfast
Summary: It had all started so normally.Being dead for 100 years and consequently forgetting your entire life does not come without some trauma. Twilight helps Wild handle some thoughts he has about everything.
Relationships: Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe)
Series: Linked Universe Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958578
Comments: 9
Kudos: 251





	Where were you?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everybody! 
> 
> I've played Legend of Zelda games for years, but have only recently found Jojo's LinkedUniverse, and loved it so much that I started writing again after 4 years!
> 
> Based on Jojo's Linked Universe found here: https://linkeduniverse.tumblr.com/

It had all started so normally.

They were in Wild’s Hyrule. They had landed the day before near the Lanayru Wetlands, and Wild was leading the way as they slogged through the mud, telling the group about everything they would see in Zora’s Domain.

“Sidon will be so excited to meet all of you! It’s been a while since I’ve visited him, he’s always so eager to hear about the things I’ve seen on my travels. Wait until I tell him about visiting different Hyrules! I think he’d love to know how the Zora have changed over the years. You know they named Vah Ruta after the sage Ruto, he’ll be amazed to know that you actually know her, Time!”

Wild waits for a response, a remark from Time on how he didn’t actually know the Zora Princess that well, followed by a quip from Legend on how Ruto had wanted to marry him anyway. But when only silence greets his statement, he turns around to see nothing but the tall grasses and muddy waters of Lanayru behind him. 

“Guys…?”

A wind moved through the grass, and Wild shivered at how empty the field was.

“Twilight? Time? Wind! This isn’t funny, you can all come out now!”

A hot-footed frog jumps by in response to his call.

Wild draws his Knight’s broadsword and sets off in the direction they had come from, searching for any trace of his friends. How could they all have vanished without him noticing? Had they fallen through another portal? But why hadn’t he been brought along as well?

Wild’s heart races as he goes further and further back, seeing no sign that anyone other than himself had made the trek through the Wetlands. Here was where Legend had tripped and fallen face first into the mud. They had all laughed as he stood up, cursing Wild’s Hyrule for the third time that day. There should be some sign of that, right? And here was where Wind had taken a pictograph of some herons to show Aryll. Where could they have gone?!

Tears of panic were starting to make their way down Wild’s face as he reaches their campsite from the night before, only to find nothing. No remains of a campfire, no tread in the ground from where Twilight had paced in wolf form during his watch, nothing to indicate that nine people had spent the night here not even twelve hours before.

“No, no, nonono….”

Hands pull at his hair as Wild tries to think, think, think! What could possibly have done this! Monsters? He would have heard sounds of a battle. Yiga? Try as they might, the clan wasn’t nearly subtle enough to pull this off. Where had his friends, his family, gone? Why, why was he all alone again?

“Don’t tell me, the great Hero of Hyrule still hasn’t figured it out?”

Wild jumps at the familiar, snide voice, and turns to face the Rito champion. “Revali? But, how are you here? You’re…”

“Dead, yes, thanks to you. Isn’t that what happens with you? Your friends and family depend on you to save them, but you’re too weak, too late, and they’re dead long before you get a second chance.”

“After all,” Urbosa draws Wild’s gaze as she walks over, the green flames surrounding her spirit intermingling with Revali’s as she joins the Rito, “isn’t that what happened today? Your family needed you and You. Weren’t. Here.”

Wild looks around at what should have been a campsite, growing cold as realization starts to dawn on him. “No, NO! They’re not dead, they were here with me this morning!”

“Were we?”

A choked sob and a stumble forward is all Wild can manage as he catches sight of Wind’s green form, tiny in comparison to the champions he stands next to. _‘No, dear Hylia no. Please, anything, anything but this.’_

“Were we actually here Wild?” Wind’s eyes are cold as he stares at Wild’s trembling form. “Were we actually here, or did you forget about us too?”

“I- I didn’t forget you, Wind. I couldn’t!” His voice comes out as a whisper as he tries to make sense of everything. This couldn’t be happening, not now, not when he’d found somewhere he belonged!

“I believe you could, Link.” And now Mipha is here, tears in her eyes as she faces him. “I’d known you since you were a child, you were my dearest friend, _I loved you_ , and you still forgot about me. You didn’t remember anything about me until you had to for the sake of the quest, so who’s to say you won’t forget everybody else?”

“I-”

“You were sleeping again, cub.” Wild feels his heart breaking as Twilight’s spirit joins the group. _‘He can’t catch his breath.’_ “We needed you, but you had already forgotten us.”

No.

“Where were you, little guy?”

Please, no.

“I really thought the group could trust you, Wild.”

_Wild._

Please, no. 

“I was counting on you to save us, Link.”

I’m sorry.

“How could you forget us?”

Not again, not again, Not Again!

_Wild, wake up!_

“You left us!”

“Where were you, we needed you!”

Please, I’m sorry.

“Why did you leave us?”

I didn’t mean to.

WHERE WERE YOU?

_“WILD!!”_

Wild’s eyes fly open, not noticing the figures in front of him jumping back as he scrambles out of his bedroll and bends over, throwing up all of his dinner. He’s trembling and he’s crying and he can’t breathe, _can’t breathe_ because he forgot again!

There are hands trying to loosen his grip on his hair, but he can’t let go, he has to hold on to the memories, he has to remember them! He can’t forget them, he has to remember Wind and Twilight and Time and Legend and Hyrule…

…

He remembers them.

Unlike his memories of the champions, the memories of his fellow Links come easily. He remembers Warriors' easy laugh, Sky’s soft smile, and Wind’s energetic stories. Those memories are there, he knows them, _he never forgot them._

Wild opens his eyes again (he can’t remember closing them) to Twilight’s worried face, his mentor’s hands still tightly grasped around his wrist even though he’s no longer in danger of pulling his own hair out. Despite the farmhand’s questioning gaze, Wild searches the campsite for answers. Time stands behind Twilight, looking at him with concern. Sky, Four, Legend, and Hyrule are all still in their bedrolls on the other side of the fire, doing a poor job of pretending not to stare. Warriors and Wind are sitting at the campfire, muttering to each other and shooting furtive looks at him.

 _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight._ They’re all here. They hadn’t disappeared, and as Wild sees his friends, he pulls up memories of each of them. Exploring with Hyrule, sharing looks with Four as Twilight comes up with a flimsy excuse as to where Wolfie went, taking pictures with Wind. _They’re all okay. He remembers them. He knows them._

As his gaze turns back to Twilight, Wild starts to put everything together. They had just landed back in his Hyrule earlier that day. He had recognized they were near the Lanayru Wetlands, and had decided to make for Zora’s Domain. They were supposed to arrive late tomorrow. _Tomorrow had been only a nightmare._

And Wild burst into tears again.

\- . - . - .

Twilight sighs as he walks around Zora’s Domain. _This really is a beautiful place, even if most of us were too tired to appreciate it on arrival._ Despite their late start that morning, the group had made good time to their destination, and were greeted with all the exuberance Wild had promised from the Zora Prince. Sidon was a gracious host, and had seen to it that there was enough room for nine Hylians to rest comfortably. He had seemed to recognize that most in the group were running on little sleep, and had promised a grand tour in the morning.

 _Although some of us are running on less rest than others,_ Twilight thinks as he catches sight of his protege, sitting with Sidon in front of a statue that the Ordonian recognized as the Zora Princess Mipha. 

Wild hadn’t gone back to sleep after he’d calmed down a second time, and had instead elected to stare into the fire with glazed eyes until the sun rose. Twilight had told Warriors and Sky that he’d take the rest of the second watch as well as the third, as he wasn’t going to leave his cub alone in such a state. 

Twilight wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forget the way Wild had thrashed and cried before Warriors was able to wake him. Nightmares were nothing new to any of them, but something had twisted in him at the sight of his cub in such a state, and he had all but shoved Warriors out of the way (he still needed to apologize) in an effort to keep Wild from harming himself in his distress.

It had taken Wild several minutes to come back to himself, and all Twilight could do was to keep ahold of his protege as he came back to the present, hoping that the sight of everybody would ground him in reality. Instead, he watched as something in Wild broke, and the kid fell apart again.

The following morning had been tense, as nobody really knew what to do other than to avoid talking about the night before. Time had allowed those able to fall back asleep the chance to sleep in, so it had been late morning by the time they had broken camp, with only rations for breakfast as Wild was in no state to cook.

The hero in question had not said anything more than a handful of words all day, merely giving directions to ensure the group was headed in the right direction. Usually, whoever was from the Hyrule they were in would take the lead, but Wild was insistent on staying in the rear of the group. Twilight had walked next to him, and had watched as his cub’s gaze would jump from person to person, counting everybody off under his breath. Wild also constantly fiddled with his Sheikah Slate during their breaks, constantly going over photos he had taken during their adventure.

In the end, it had been a relief to reach Zora’s Domain, and Twilight hoped that Wild would be able to rest and recover from whatever his nightmare had been about.

Seeing that Sidon’s conversation with Wild is almost over, Twilight starts making his way over to the pair. The Zora Prince catches sight of him, and stands up. 

“As always, it is wonderful to speak with you, my friend. Please let me know if you or your companions have need of anything. I will see you in the morning.” With that, Sidon nods at Twilight, and makes his way towards the throne room.

Wild doesn’t look at the Ordonian as he sits down, and instead continues to stare at the likeness of the dead Zora Princess. Twilight doesn’t say anything either, content in being a comforting presence, letting his protege know that someone is there for him.

More and more people start leaving to go to sleep, until it is simply the two of them and the Zora guards who are awake. Still, Wild has not said anything or even moved. Twilight readies himself to break the silence, because even if Wild is not ready to talk he still needs to sleep. He can understand the fear of more nightmares but-

“Do you know that I still don’t remember her?”

His neck cracks as he quickly turns to look at Wild. “What?”

Wild is still not looking at him, but there is _something_ in his eyes that is different from the distant, empty look that had haunted them since the night before. “Mipha. Apparently we’d known each other since I was a child. She loved me enough to make me a proposal gift, but I still barely remember anything about her.”

Twilight lets out a huff of air as he sits there, unsure of how to respond. He decides to tread forward carefully. “I thought you were continuing to get your memories back.”

“I remember some things here and there, but it’s like watching through fogged glass. I remember the people, but I don’t always remember how I felt, or what my relationship towards them was. I remembered that I cared about Mipha, but I couldn’t tell you any more than that. I don’t know if it was love, and I don’t know if it would have been enough to marry her. How is it possible to look at her, and not have any emotion other than regret that I forgot her?”

The Hero of Twilight thinks of Ilia, his best friend from childhood, who had looked at him without recognition. She had tried to explain it later on, how even though she had been told facts about her life, the person they were describing hadn’t felt like her because she hadn’t experienced the same things. She had then gone on to explain that even after she remembered everything, it had taken a while for her to find her balance, because it was as if she had lived two different lives. 

He lets out another sigh. “I don’t have all the answers, Cub. It’s likely that because you had no foundation from before you woke up, you were able to grow and develop in a way different than you might have had you retained all of your memories. The you who woke up in the shrine didn’t know Mipha, so why would you love her? I do think the fact that you want to remember says a lot about you now as a person, though.”

Twilight feels the scarred boy tremble next to him, and he’s startled to see Wild’s lips tremble. “It’s not really about how I feel about Mipha now. It’s how I felt for her then, and how easily I forgot e- _everything._

“Twi, I- what if I forget everything again?” He turns to him as the tears start to fall. “I don’t want to forget you guys.”

 _And there it is_ , Twilight thinks as he pulls his protege into a hug. Everything was starting to fall into place. What the nightmare was about, Wild’s need to keep the entire group in his site, the constant looking at the pictures stored on the Sheikah Slate. His heart aches for the child in his arms who had already gone through so much, that most of the beings who could help him remember are long gone, and that he now has to live with the fear that he’d once again lose everything he had fought so hard to have.

“Cub, I want you to listen to me.” He draws back from the hug and looks Wild in the eyes. “We won’t let you forget. We are here by your side, and won’t leave it, no matter what. I am not leaving you. We have made so many memories on this adventure, and I will not let you lose them. Why else do you think we steal that slate of yours to capture some of your greatest moments? There’s no way we’d let you forget the disaster that was you antagonizing the cuccos back at Time’s place.” At this Wild gives a small laugh, followed by a sniffle as he tries to wipe his face clear of tears. “Come here,” he says, as he pulls the boy back into another hug.

“Twi?” He hums in response. “I’ve already told Zelda and Purah, but I want someone in the group to know that if it comes down to it, I don’t want to be put in the Shrine again.” 

Twilight’s heart gives another painful twist at the thought of his cub even coming close to needing that contraption again, but he takes a deep breath, squeezes Wild even tighter, and says “Okay.

“Now come on,” he says standing. “We both need some sleep. Especially if we’re supposed to keep up with the Zora Prince all day tomorrow. He has as much energy as Wind does after he’s had sugar.”

Wild gives out a small chuckle as he also gets to his feet. “Sidon is a bit excitable, but he’s a really good friend.” He turns to look at Mipha one last time before looking at Twilight, his eyes a bit fearful and hesitant. “Will- will you stay with me tonight?”

Twilight gives him a small smile, and drapes his arm around Wild’s shoulders. “Of course”, he replies.

Both of them sleep through the night.

**Author's Note:**

> So that's a wrap! Please let me know what you think! I'll probably be starting this as a collection of one-shots in the LinkedUniverse, so if anybody has any prompts, let me know!


End file.
